Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series
2024-25 Dean's Distinguished Lecture in the Basic Sciences
“Beyond the Genetic Code: Exploring Non-Coding DNA’S Role in Human Health and Disease through Single-Cell Atlases and Deep Learning”
presented by
Bing Ren, PhD
Professor of Genetics and Development, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and of Systems Biology
Associate Director, Vagelos Institute for Basic Biomedical Science
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Scientific Director and CEO, New York Genome Center
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.
Vagelos Education Center
104 Haven Ave., Room 201
Reception to follow in the Milstein Family Lobby, first floor
This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Biography
Bing Ren, PhD
Dr. Ren is professor of Genetics and Development, Systems Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and the associate director of the Vagelos Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is also the scientific director and CEO of the New York Genome Center. Dr. Ren previously served on the faculty of the University of California San Diego and was the founding director of the Center for Epigenomics of the university. During this time, he was also a member of the San Diego branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Dr. Ren received his PhD in Biochemistry from Harvard University and his postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute.
Dr. Ren is a pioneer in the field of epigenomics and has devoted his career to unraveling the complexities of gene regulation and chromatin architecture. His research has led to fundamental discoveries in gene regulation, including the mapping of millions of regulatory elements within the human genome, elucidation of chromatin organization principles, and the functional interpretation of non-coding disease variants. He has also played a central role in multiple large-scale genomics initiatives, including the ENCODE Project, the NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Mapping Consortium, the International Human Epigenome Consortium, and the 4D Nucleome Consortium. This work has significantly advanced our understanding of how epigenetic modifications influence cellular identity and human disease, particularly in neurodegeneration and cancer.
He has received numerous accolades, including the Chen Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetic and Genomic Research and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Past Distinguished Lecturers in the Basic Sciences
2023–24 Hashim M. Al-Hashimi
2022–23 Harris Wang
2021–22 Carol Prives
2020–21 Henry M. Colecraft
2019–20 Wesley Grueber
2018–19 Donna Farber
2017–18 Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
2016–17 Rene Hen
2015–16 Steven L. Reiner
2014–15 Frank Costantini
2013–14 Richard Mann
2012–13 Steven A. Siegelbaum
2010–11 Andrea Califano
2008–09 Robert S. Kass
2007–08 Marian Carlson
2004–05 James E. Rothman
2003–04 Andrew Marks
2002–03 Eric Gouaux
2001–02 Vincent Racaniello
2000–01 Virginia E. Papaioannou
1999–2000 Lloyd A. Greene
1998–99 Kathryn Calame
1997–98 Gary Struhl
1996–97 Michael D. Gershon
1995–96 Thomas M. Jessell
1994–95 Riccardo Dalla-Favera
1993–94 Barry Honig
1992–93 Argiris Efstratiadis
1991–92 Stephen P. Goff
1990–91 Arthur Karlin
1989–90 Frederick Alt
1988–89 Richard Axel
1987–88 Wayne Hendrickson
1986–87 Reinhold Benesch
1985–86 Elvin Kabat
1984–85 Harold Ginsberg
1983–84 Eric Kandel
1982–83 Brian Hoffman